Needle threader



Aug. 7, 1956 A. DRITZ 2,757,837

NEEDLE THREADER Filed May 5, 1954 2 Shets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. fl i/luk6772 g- 7, 1956 A. DRlTZ 2,757,837

NEEDLE THREADER Filed May 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 24 V I N V EN TOR.FIG. 4&1/104? fla /r1 FIG. .14. M

United States Patent NEEDLE THREADER Arthur Dritz, Brooklyn, N. Y.,assignor to John Dritz & Sons, New York, N. Y., a partnershipApplication May 5, 1954, Serial No. 427,694

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-99) The present invention relates to a needlethreader and more particularly to a device for facilitating thethreading of sewing needles.

The needle threader of the present invention is of the type in which aWire element anchored at one end to a suitable holder has its other endor point free for the entrance and reception of the eye of a needle, thesaid wire element being adapted to pass through the eye of the needle,after which a thread is engaged with the wire element in such a way thatwhen the needle is removed from the wire element the thread is loopedthrough the eye of the needle thereby accomplishing the threadingoperation.

In a needle threader of this type it is highly desirable in order toreally facilitate and assist in the threading of the needle, to be ableto move and guide the needle so that the eye of the needle is easily,freely and surely located with reference to the entrance point of thewire element. A prime object of the present invention centers about theprovision of a needle threader in which this is accomplished. Toaccomplish this, the needle threader of the present invention embodiesmeans for magnifying the scene or locus where the eye of the needleenters the free end or point of the wire element, consequently visuallyenlarging or magnifying these parts, and at the same time concentratingor condensing the light at such scene or locus. By this means, in thisfirst step of the manipulation of the needle threader, illumination ofthe area where the point of the wire element is to enter the eye of theneedle is greatly enhanced, and the wire point and needle eye parts aremagnified so as to be readily viewable to the user.

Other desiderata of a needle threader of this type and which areancillary objects of the present invention are the following:

1. The needle threader should be so designed that the needle may bemechanically guided unerringly to the entrance point of the wireelement. In the structure of the present invention the parts are sodesigned that the needle is guidingly confined by the parts of theneedle threader into position and then through the wire element;

2. The needle threader should be provided with means for maintaining thewire element, which is the most fragile part of the needle threader andwhich is subject to ready distortion and damage, in a correctly locatedposition and also protected against damage. In the structure of thepresent invention the parts are so organized that the wire element isalways maintained in a centered and correct location, the same being atthe same time arranged and positioned between the parts of the device soas to be protected from dislocating engagement with external objects;and

3. It is also desirable to so design the parts that the wireelement maybe readily replaced, as the needs of service may require, by a new wireelement. In the structure of the present device the parts are soorganized that the wire element is made replaceable in a simple way.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear my invention relates to the needle threader as soughtto be defined in the appended claims taken together with the followingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of one form that the needle threader of thepresent invention may take, this view illustrating the movement of aneedle into the threader;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the threader of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the other side of the said threader; I

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the threader;

Fig. 5 is a view of the same taken in cross-section in the plane of theline 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view'taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 6-6 ofFig. 1;

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views showing sequential steps in theoperation of threading a needle with said threader;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view similar to Fig. l but showing a modification;

Figs. l0, l1 and 12 are views similar to those of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 ofthe modification of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a view taken in cross-section in the plane of line 13-13 ofFig. 9;

Fig. 14 is a view taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 14-14of Fig. 9; and

Figs. 15 and 16 are fragmentary views illustrating steps in thethreading of a needle performed by the use of this modification. 1

' Referring now more in detail to the drawings, and having reference tothe form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8, the needle threadercomprises a holder 20, a Wire element 22 anchored at one end to theholder and extending longitudinally thereof, the said wire elementhaving its other end free for the entrance and reception of the eye of aneedle 24, the said threader further including a backing and supportplate 26 fixed to the holder 20 arranged below and extendinglongitudinally of the wire element 22. The needle 24, in the first stepof the threading operation, is moved from the position shown in Fig. lto the position shown in Fig. 7, and in this movement the wire element22 passes through the eye 28 of the needle. The backing or support plate26 is formed'at a region intermediate the ends of the wire element 22with a channel or orifice 36 through which a thread 32 is passed asindicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. With the parts in the positionshown in Fig. 7 the needle 24 is then removed from the wire elementbeing moved to a position such as is indicated in Fig. 8, the threadbeing thereby looped through the eye of the needle and therebyaccomplishing the threading operation.

The holder 20 in the preferred structure and design comprises anelongated member preferably made of a transparent plastic material andshaped to the configuration shown in the drawings. Preferably, an end 3dthereof is provided with a magnet plug 36, this being employed formagnetically attracting or picking up the needle to be threaded. Thewire element 22 in this first form of the invention comprises adiamond-shaped, looped member otherwise well known in the art,transversely contractile when the same is moved through the eye of theneedle, the end 38 thereof being embedded ina plate 40, the'other orfree end 42 of the Wire loop being the free end or entrance point forthe needle eye. The wire element 22 is secured in position between theholder 20 and the backing plate 26 by having the plate 40 securedbetween these parts. To permit removal and replacement of the wireelement 22 the backing or support plate 26 is made removably attachableto the holder 20 by means of the screws 44.

As aforesaid, the needle threader of the present invention embodiesmeans for magnifying the scene or locus where the needle eye enters thepoint or free end of the Wire element, and consequently visuallyenlarging or magnifying these parts and at the same time concentratingor condensing the available light at such scene or locus. This isaccomplished by the provision of a magnifying lens 46 connected to theholder 20 and arranged above the free end of the wire element, as ismost clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings. This lens 46 has theeffect of visually magnifying the eye of the needle 28 and the point 42of the wire element as is best indicated in Fig. l of the drawings. Thetop face 48 of the plate 26 is formed as a reflective surface (as bypainting the same with a white enamel); and in combination with the lens46 the scene or locus of the wire point and the needle eye is moreintensely illuminated, the lens 46 acting to condense a broad cone oflight such as is indicated by the arrows 50 in Fig. 3 onto thereflective surface 48. The lens thus functions to magnify the locus ofthe free end of the wire element and its entrance into the eye of theneedle, and to concentrate the light on these parts, thus greatlyfacilitating and assisting in the first step of threading the needle.

In the preferred construction the lens 46 and the holder 20 are formedof a unitary piece of transparent plastic material. The backing orsupport plate 26 is also preferably made of a thin sheet of transparentplastic material, coated, however, to provide for the reflective surface48.

In the exemplified structure the bottom face 52 of the lens 46 and theface 48 of the backing plate 26, which are the contiguous faces of theseelements, are planular and are spaced apart a distance to snugly receiveand guidingly confine the shank and eye of the needle which is movedbetween these parts when the needle eye is directed' to the free end ofthe wire element, this action being best indicated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings. In this way the needle is guidingly confined between parts ofthe needle threader into position and then through the wire element. Thebacking plate 26 is preferably made somewhat resilient so that it may bemoved between the full and dotted line positions shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings by needles of varying thicknesses.

For maintaining the wire element 22 centered at the space between theplate 26 and the lens 46, a protuberance 54 is formed in the holder 20and a second protuberance 56 is formed in the plate 26 on opposite sidesof the wire element 22, the same serving to normally engage the wireelement and effect its centering in the said space. The protuberance 54being located between the center and the anchoring points of the wireelement also serves the function to retain against normal displacementthe needle 24 when it is moved to its innermost position, as shown inFig. 7 of the drawings.

Preferably the lens 46 is attached to the holder 20 at only one side ofthe threading channel 30, being free therefrom at its other side, thisso as to provide a channel 58 for the freer release of the threadedneedle 24, this action being best indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

It will be observed that in addition to the functions described, thewire element 22, which is the most fragile part of the needle threader,being located between the backing plate 26 on one side of the holder 20and lens 46 on the other side, is substantially enclosed by these partsand, therefore, protected against engagement with external objects andthereby against ordinary damage.

In the operation of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8 theneedle 24 is first guided into the position shown in Fig. 1 and thenmoved to the left, the wire element passing through the eye of theneedle, the needle being moved to the position shown in Fig. 7. Thethread 32 is then passed through the channel 30 and through the loop ofthe wire element 22, as indicated in Fig. 7. The needle is then moved tothe right and in its removal from the wire element a loop is formed inthe thread with the eye of the needle engaging the loop. The needle maythen be removed in either of the directions shown in Fig. 8 after whichone of the threads of the loop is moved out of the eye of the needle.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 to 16 of the drawings a differentform of wire element is employed and th structure is modified foradaption to this different form of wire element. Otherwise the structureof Figs. 9 to 16 is the same as that of Figs. 1 to 8, and includescorresponding parts, all of which are designated by corresponding, butprimed, reference characters.

In this modification the wire element 22' comprises a rigid plateprovided with a loop-forming hook 62. The lens 46 is made integral withthe holder 20' in the same way as in the structure of Figs. 1 to 8,these being attached only on one side of the wire element and being freeat its other side, and providing at its other side the channel 58'. Theplate 26 (which, in this form, is made to extend the full length of theholder 20') is also provided with a channel 64 registering with the saidchannel 58. In this modification the protuberances 54' and 56 are bothformed in the plate 26.

In the use of this modified structure the threading operation isperformed as illustrated in Figs. 9, l5 and 16. The needle 24 isinserted into the threader in a manner depicted in Figs. 9 and 15. Thethread 32 is then placed over the hooked wire element 22', as isillustrated in Fig. 15. The needle 24' is then moved to the right (asviewed in Fig. 15) and is withdrawn or removed from the wire element. Inthis operative step the thread 32' is retained by the hook 62 of thewire element and a loop 60 is formed in the thread as depicted in Fig.16. The loop is thereby threaded through the eye of the needle; and theneedle 24' with the loop 60' therein is then moved from the dotted lineposition shown in Fig. 16 to the full line position shown therein, theparts being moved through registering channels 58', 64 and therebyremoved from the threader. One of the threads of the loop is thenwithdrawn from the eye of the needle, thereby completing the needlethreading operation.

The use and operation of the needle threader of the present inventionand the advantages in the use thereof will in the main be fully apparentfrom the above detailed description. It will be further apparent thatchanges may be made in the described invention without departing fromthe spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A needle threader comprising a holder, a wire ele ment anchored atone end to the holder and extending longitudinally thereof, the saidwire element having its other end free for the entrance and reception ofthe eye of a needle, a support plate on the holder arranged below andextending longitudinally of the wire element, a magnifying lens on theholder arranged above the free end of the wire element, the contiguousfaces of the lens and the support plate being planular and being spacedapart a distance substantially the same as the thickness of the needleto form a needle receiving channel to snugly re ceive and guidinglyconfine the needle which is moved into the threader between the lens andthe support plate with the eye of the needle directed to the free end ofthe wire element, the lens functioning to magnify the locus of the freeend of the wire element and its entrance into the eye of the needle andto concentrate light on such locus, the said plate being provided with athreading orifice below the wire element and the said lens being fixedto the holder only on one side of the wire element and being freetherefrom at its other side, the lens and the support plate alsofunctioning to enclose and protectively house the wire element.

2. A needle threader comprising a holder, a diamondshaped loop wireelement anchored at one end to the holder and extending longitudinallythereof, the said wire element having its other end free for theentrance and reception of the eye of a needle, the said wire elementbeing adapted to pass through the eye of the needle, a support plate onthe holder arranged below and extending longitudinally of the wireelement, a magnifying lens on the holder arranged above the free end ofthe wire element, the contiguous faces of the lens and the support platebeing planular and being spaced apart a distance substantially the sameas the thickness of the needle to form a needle receiving channel tosnugly receive and guidingly confine the needle which is moved into thethreader between the lens and the support plate with the needle eyedirected to the free end of the wire element, the lens functioning tomagnify the locus of the free end of the wire element and its entranceinto the eye of the needle and to concentrate light on such locus, thesaid plate being provided with a threading orifice below the center ofthe wire element, the said lens being fixed to the holder only on oneside of the wire element and being free therefrom at the other side, thelens and the support plate also functioning to enclose and protectivelyhouse the wire element.

3. A needle threader comprising a holder, 21 hooked wire elementanchored at one end to the holder and extending longitudinally thereof,the said Wire element having its other end free for the entrance andreception of the eye of a needle, the said wire element being adapted topass through the eye of the needle, a support plate on the holderarranged below and extending longitudinally of the wire element, and amagnifying lens on the holder arranged above the free end of the wireelement, the contiguous faces of the lens and the support plate beingplanular and being spaced apart a distance substantially the same as thethickness of the needle to form a needle receiving channel to snuglyreceive and guidingly confine the needle which is moved into thethreader between the lens and the support plate with the needle eyedirected to the free end of the wire element, the lens functioning tomagnify the locus of the free end of the wire element and its entranceinto the eye of the needle and to concentrate light on such locus, thesaid lens being attached to the holder only on one side of the Wireelement and being free therefrom at its other side and providing at suchother side a threading channel, the plate being provided with aregistering threading channel, the lens and the support plate alsofunctioning to enclose and protectively house the wire element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS143,098 Schofield Sept. 23, 1873 1,175,504 Boye Mar. 14, 1916 1,239,270Hawks Sept. 4, 1917 2,411,686 Ingwer et al Nov. 26, 1946 2,544,063Biederman Mar. 6, 1951

